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  “He’s in room six,” Matthews said, walking out of the office with a key.

  Six? That’s not the room number she had seen in her flash. Knowing she had no way to question it, she followed him around the building, gun drawn in front of her, until he stopped in front of the door.

  When she saw it, her reservations quickly disappeared. The number on the door had come loose and was hanging upside down, making the six appear as a nine.

  Matthews motioned the officers into place and quietly slid the key into the door. Rilynne’s heart was drumming in her chest as she watched his hand slowly turn. This was going to be it, she just knew it. At the same time, she forced aside the feeling that they might be walking into something she didn’t want to see. She knew that if Kim fought the reality Maloy believed to be true, he might turn violent.

  As soon as the lock clicked, he pushed the door open and they stormed in.

  The room was just like she had seen it, aside from the shoe in the middle of the bed. At first sight, she wouldn’t have thought anyone was staying there at all had there not been a large photo album sitting in the middle of the table in the corner. The bed, a single queen, looked like it hadn’t been slept in. Rilynne would have considered the possibility that maid service had been in had it not been for the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door.

  As Matthews pulled the closet door open, Rilynne quickly moved toward the closed bathroom door.

  She took a quick, hopeful breath and yanked the door open. Like the rest of the room, it was empty.

  “His clothes are still in the closet,” Matthews said.

  Rilynne slammed the side of her fist against the wall and turned back around to examine the room. It was neat, abnormally so. Even the dirty clothes were neatly folded and placed on a chair.

  “Do you see any sign of Kim?” she asked.

  Matthews rifled through the closet as Rilynne dropped down to look under the bed. She pulled out the small suitcase that was near the edge and flung it open. There were a few shirts but nothing that belonged to a child. He must have moved her, or simply had her belongings with him.

  “Let’s clear out,” she said. “Get all police vehicles out of the parking lot. I want an undercover car set up across the street to watch the room.”

  Matthews nodded in agreement, and after taking one last look around, they hurried out of the room. When they climbed into the car, Rilynne pounded her hand violently against the dash. She was so sure this would be the end of it that the disappointment hit twice as hard. Matthews looked over at her, no doubt wanting to scold her for abusing his car, but didn’t say a word. He too looked utterly disappointed.

  Neither of them spoke until they pulled up in front of the station. Rilynne had kept her eyes closed the duration of the drive, trying to see where he could have taken Kim after leaving the motel. As hard as she tried, she couldn't force herself to see anything else.

  “At least we know he’s still in town,” Matthews said. “It’s not likely he would leave without his stuff. That doesn't mean he had anything to do with the abduction, but you know how I feel about coincidences.”

  “I was sure she would be there,” she admitted as she pushed her car door open. “Even if they had gone out, I at least thought we would have found some sign of her in the room. It’s unlikely he would have kept her in the clothes she had on at the rehearsal dinner.”

  “He probably tossed those. Despite posting the sign on the door, there’s no guarantee someone wouldn’t have gone in while he was out. The Amber alert included a picture of her in that dress. If I was the abductor, the first thing I would do is get rid of that,” he stated. “I definitely wouldn’t leave it sitting around to be found.”

  He was right. Even if Maloy was completely unstable, he more than likely would have had the sense to try and cover his tracks.

  News of their failure must have already swept through the station, because all of the looks they were given as they walked through the lobby were far more sorrowful than the ones from an hour earlier.

  Ben was waiting for Rilynne in the office when they walked back in. He didn’t ask how the raid went. Instead, he just hugged her before sitting on the edge of her desk.

  She watched Matthews walk into the conference room before turning to her fiancé.

  “Did you talk to Elise?” she asked. “Did she tell you about the girl that was found last night?”

  Ben gave her a puzzled look before shaking his head. Rilynne took in a deep breath before continuing. “She believes the girl was held by her kidnapper for approximately ten years. That would have put her close to Kim’s age when she was taken.”

  “Do you think the cases are connected?” he asked.

  Rilynne shrugged helplessly. “I’m pretty sure the dreams I’ve had the past couple nights have been about last night’s victim,” she said quietly. “Kim was in last night’s, but I don’t know if that means the same man took both. It could have just been two separate dreams that overlapped.”

  “What do you think the chances are of that?” he asked. “You told me that you only see things you have some connection to. You were dreaming about this girl before her body was found. Would that really have happened if it wasn’t connected to something you were emotionally invested in?”

  Rilynne opened her mouth to answer, but stopped. She hadn’t even considered the idea. She thought back to the first dream with the fog. She was positive that the voice was the same as the one she’d heard last night. Unless the dream was just that, a dream, there must be some connection. After spending a few more moments pondering it, she started asking herself why she hadn’t considered it yet. She now knew why Lori had been so concerned by the fact that her memory wasn’t to its usual level. It wasn’t like Rilynne to miss as much as she had since this case started. A wave of hopelessness overtook her, and she couldn’t help but think she would be able to do more for Kim if she wasn’t so caught up with her emotions.

  She was still thinking about it when Ben leaned forward and nudged her. “Are you going to get that?” he asked.

  Rilynne was confused by his question until she heard her phone ring. When she pulled it out, she felt her expression harden.

  “What is it?” Ben asked.

  Rilynne looked from the phone to Ben. “It's Joe,” she said before answering. “Hey, Joe. Is everything all right?”

  She felt the color drain from her face as she jumped up from her seat. As she did, it flipped backward and slammed to the ground. Although she could feel everyone turn toward her, she didn't acknowledge them.

  “Call me if she shows back up.” She groaned and dropped her phone down on the desk.

  All she could do was think the worst. Her chest seized as she felt her legs grow weak below her. With shaking hands, she leaned forward against the desk and fought off a scream.

  “What is it?” Ben asked more forcefully. He grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to face him. The strength behind it stunned her and was surprisingly calming.

  “Lori was staring out the window and Joe said she suddenly jumped up and ran for the door.” She let out a shaky breath. “But not before grabbing her gun. He said by the time he got outside, he saw her climbing into her car… with a man.”

  “Does he know who?”

  She closed her eyes and let out another deep breath before opening them again. “He tried to chase after the car and found a pile of cigarette butts on the lawn,” she said. “One was still burning.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ben let go of the hold he had on her arm as a flash of anger crossed his face. Rilynne felt helpless. While it did provide a little comfort knowing Lori was armed, it didn't do much. Even if Maloy had Kim and took Lori to her, there was no reason to believe he wouldn't just hold them both. With Lori’s current state of mind, she also wasn’t positive that she would be able to restrain herself from saying something that might get them both hurt.

  Ben made a sudden movement that caugh
t her eye. She looked up at him just in time to see him put his fist through the wall.

  “Ben!” she exclaimed, suddenly feeling her head clear. She reached up and grabbed his hand as he pulled it back out. “What did you do?”

  He seemed almost as stunned by the act as she was.

  “I just… I really just wanted to hit something,” he said. “I'm sorry, Rye.”

  She let out a quick chuckle then turned to look around the office. While everyone seemed concerned about the cause of the outburst, they all appeared to be quite amused.

  “Are you all right?” she asked when she looked back toward him. She held up his hand and gently brushed the drywall dust away from his bloodied knuckles.

  He shrugged it off as if nothing had happened, though she could see the pain on his face. She slowly shook her head before reaching for the first aid kit in her drawer.

  “Don't,” he said. “My hand is fine. You need to go find Lori. Let's go back to her house and see if you can see where he would have taken them. We can take care of this later.”

  She closed the drawer without pulling anything out and nodded. As much as she wanted to tend to him, she knew they were working in a small window of time. Instead, Rilynne reached for her gun as Ben led her to the elevator.

  They had just stepped out the front door of the station when tires screeched to a stop in front of the building. Ben instinctively put his arm out in front of Rilynne, but it couldn't hold her back when she took in the sight.

  Rilynne let out a quick gasp before pushing past Ben and running toward Lori's car.

  “Out!” she heard Lori yell as she ran down the steps. Rilynne crouched down when she reached the car and looked in through the open window.

  Lori was sitting in the driver's seat wearing the same clothes she’d had on the past two days. That wasn't the thing that shocked her. In Lori's right hand was her gun, which she was aiming at the passenger head.

  “Lori!” Rilynne exclaimed as she pulled the door open. Ben took one look over her shoulder before running around to the other side of the car. “Lori, what are you doing?”

  Rilynne shifted her eyes from Lori's enraged face to the shaking gun in her hand.

  “I said get out!” Lori yelled. When the man didn't move, she cocked the gun and pushed it firmly against his temple.

  On a normal day, there would be no doubt in Rilynne’s mind that Lori was no danger to the man. With her current state of mind, though, Rilynne honestly didn't know what she was capable of.

  Her eyes shifted again from Lori to the gun. As the uneasiness filled her, she looked up to Ben through the passenger window, her eyes pleading for assistance. He met her gaze and nodded.

  At the same time Rilynne reached out for Lori’s trembling hand, Ben opened the door and grabbed the man, pulling him from the car. When he was clear, Rilynne wrapped her fingers around the barrel of the gun and took it from Lori.

  The moment the gun slid out of her hand, Lori completely broke down and started sobbing. Rilynne dropped the pistol down onto the floor board and wrapped her arms around her friend. She held her for several minutes, Lori shaking violently in her arms. She didn't move until she heard a commotion from the other side of the car.

  “No, you aren't going anywhere,” Ben said. Rilynne pulled away from Lori and stood up, grabbing the gun as she did. Ben was still standing just beyond the passenger door with his hand grasping the man's shirt.

  Rilynne looked at his face for the first time. He was younger than she had imagined. When she’d pictured him, she saw a bald, overweight man in his early forties. This man couldn't have been older than thirty, with short blonde hair and light eyes. She would actually have considered him handsome if it hadn't been for the smile on his face. There was something unsettling about it. It wasn't just the fact that he seemed happy even in the middle of the situation at hand. The smile itself just made him look unstable.

  “I'm the victim here,” he insisted as he tried to pull Ben's already injured hand off of his shirt. When that didn't work, he threw his elbow out and hit Ben in the chin.

  Rilynne started around the car to help him, but didn't make it far.

  As Ben turned his head back toward Maloy, Rilynne caught a glimpse of an almost imperceptible smile. Before she could even begin to consider how he would react, his fist swung up and connected with the side of Maloy's face. Maloy fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Ben let out a satisfied sigh as he stood over him, rubbing his jaw.

  “Are you all right?” Rilynne asked as she closed the gap. She tucked Lori's gun into her belt and reached up to gently caress his chin. Its redness was just visible under his scruff.

  “He didn't hurt me,” Ben said. He glared down at the man at his feet. “Actually, he did me a favor. Hitting him was definitely more satisfying than the wall.”

  Rilynne leaned down and flipped Maloy onto his stomach. As she slapped the handcuffs roughly around his wrists, she looked up at Ben with a tickled grin. “He's still conscious. Did you decide to go easy on him?”

  He seemed amused by the astonishment on her face. “I used my left hand,” he explained. “I figured since we’re going scuba diving on our honeymoon, it wouldn't be the best idea to break my hand. Besides, you can't get answers out of an unconscious man.”

  Rilynne slowly shook her head and pulled Maloy to his feet.

  “I have him,” she said. “Will you bring Lori up? There's no way we can get her to go back home now. Besides, we’ll need to handle the fact that she brought him here at gun point.”

  Rilynne pushed the man into the station and through the crowded lobby.

  “How'd you know I like it rough, detective?” He looked back at her with a smug grin as she shoved him into the elevator.

  Rilynne stared at the elevator doors as they closed in front of her. She knew if she looked at him, she might not be able to keep herself from hitting him, as well.

  “Go,” she said when the doors opened to the third floor. When he didn't move, she tightened her grip on his arm and dragged him out.

  “Tylers,” she called out when they walked into the office. “Put this in an interrogation room.” She looked over to Maloy for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. “And get him some ice for his face. He fell as he was getting out of the car downstairs.”

  Tylers looked thrown by her statement, but complied. As soon as he took hold of Maloy, Rilynne walked over where Wilcome was standing in the corner. He had been watching them closely, but didn’t say anything as she approached.

  “I need a word,” she said quietly. “In private.” Before he could respond, she turned and walked to the conference room. She leaned against the table, arms folded in front of her, and waited for him to follow.

  “What's going on?” he asked when he walked in. He shut the door behind him and looked down at her curiously. “And who was that?”

  She hesitated for a moment, knowing how he would likely react to the situation. As much as she wanted to protect Lori, though, she knew she had to tell him everything that had happened.

  “Lori just showed up with her stalker, Brett Maloy,” she said. “Tylers took him back to interrogation for me.”

  “How did she find him?” he asked. She could see he had a whole list of questions to follow, so she jumped back in.

  “I received a call from Joe saying Lori ran out the door when she saw someone in the yard.” She paused to take a breath before continuing. “Joe said he followed her and saw them getting into her car. Just under ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of the station.”

  “Spit it out,” he said bluntly, knowing she was holding something back.

  Rilynne looked down to her hands before reaching back and pulling out Lori's gun. “She brought him in at gun point.” Wilcome let out a groan and took the gun from her. “Ben pulled him from the car and she gave up the gun without hesitation. Maloy did attack Ben during the process, though, so Ben hit him.”

  “And he's still conscious?” He see
med both genuinely shocked and entertained. The fact that he was taking it so lightly actually surprised her. “Where's Sibrian now?”

  “Ben's bringing her up. They may be a little while, though. I'm sure she’ll need a little time to compose herself. I would like to start with Maloy before she arrives.”

  Now it was Wilcome who was hesitating.

  “I know I'm close to this, but I have to be in there,” she said. She was hoping that her insistence would ease his reservations. Even if it didn’t, perhaps he would submit purely out of sympathy. Either way, she didn’t care. “I can control myself.”

  “That's not what I'm worried about,” he said. “He attached himself to Sibrian while being interviewed. I don't think we should take the chance of that happening to you, as well.”

  Rilynne grinned. “I would like to see him try,” she said. “Being a woman does expose me to the chance that he might latch on, but it also means he won’t be as threatened by me. He’s far more likely to open up to me than he is to a man. Besides, right now only a few people know he's stalking her. I would like to keep it that way as long as we can.”

  He seemed to know she wasn't going to cave, because he just nodded and pulled the door open. “Just remember that I warned you. And, Evans,” he groaned and ran his hands over his face. “Remember there are cameras in the room.”

  She chuckled as she walked out past him. Before she made it back to the interrogation room, Ben walked in with Lori.

  “I want to be in there,” Lori said when she saw where she was headed.

  She was wearing different clothes than she had been before. Rilynne had a feeling they stopped in locker room before coming up. Though the clothes seemed to make her appear more put together, it was only just. Her long blonde hair was haphazardly pulled up and her swollen face had almost no makeup left on it. What little Rilynne could see seemed to have been left over from the night Kim was taken.

  “You know I can't let you do that,” Wilcome said as he walked up behind Rilynne. “It’s a conflict of interest and would jeopardize any chance of conviction we have. Besides, I need you to tell me everything you can about this guy. You’ll know more about him than anyone else, and that's vital right now. Evans will handle the interview with Maloy.”